Functional Characterization of pCMAH in the Synthesis of N-Glycolylneuraminic Acid as the Xenoantigenic Determinant in Pig-to-Human Xenotransplantation

Abstract

To examine functional pCMAH activity, we analyzed the changes inNeuAc/NeuGc contents in pcmah-transfected PK15 and ECV304 cells. When human ECV304 cells negative in NeuGc expression were transfected with the pcmah cDNA, NeuGc contents were significantly increased in the transfectants compared to mock control cells. The transfected cells showed an increase in NeuGc contents and were capable of increasing human serum mediated cytotoxicity (HSMC) and xenoreactivity (HSMX).